Sister of Boston boy killed in bombing has 11th surgery

May 9, 2013
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A family photo shows Martin Richard, 8, at a hockey game. Martin was killed Monday when dual explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where Martin and his family were spectators. / AP

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Jane Richard, the wounded 7-year-old sister of the boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombings, had a crucial 11th surgery Wednesday night but faces more operations to prepare her for an artificial leg, the family said Thursday.

Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital finally closed the wound where one bomb tore off her left leg below the knee April 15, the Richard family wrote on its Tumblr page. She will eventually be fitted with a prosthetic device.

Jane, her mother and her father were among the more than 260 people wounded in the attack, which killed 8-year-old Martin Richard and two others as they all watched near the finish line in Copley Square.

"After not being able to communicate with Jane for the first two weeks, she woke up with difficult questions that needed to be answered," the statement said. "There are not words to describe how hard sharing this heartbreaking news was on all of us."

In addition to the surgeries, Jane has also fought off infections and other complications.

"One of the things we have learned through all of this is to not get too high or too low. We take today's development as positive news and look ahead with guarded optimism.

"If things go well, Jane could be ready to transition to the rehabilitation stage of her recovery in the next few weeks," the family said.

Her parents were discharged from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center a week after the blasts. Denise Richard, a school librarian, was blinded in one eye. Bill Richard, the vice president of an environmental testing company, suffered shrapnel wounds and burns to his legs and has lost some hearing.

The Richards' other son, 11-year-old Henry, escaped injury and has returned to school in their Dorchester neighborhood, "which gives him a needed sense of routine and normalcy."

The family also thanked the community and strangers for their support.

"The outpouring of support from friends, family and total strangers has been incredible, and it is uplifting to our family in this most painful and difficult time. Well-wishes reach us, and they help more than anyone can know."

"People near and far have made loving gestures and poignant remembrances," the statement continued.

Praise and thanks were also extended to first-responders and Samaritans "who stabilized and comforted us on the scene," as well as the medical staff at the hospitals "for quick action and life-saving care."

"We particularly want to thank the people who quickly got to Jane and addressed her injury in the street because they saved her life. We also salute those who stood guard over Martin's body so he was not alone."

"Martin was 'Boston Strong,' and now we must all be for him and for all of the victims of this senseless attack as well as their loved ones who are going through a hell we wish we never had to know."

The Richards conclude with thanks "for respecting our privacy and giving us space to not only recuperate and rest, but also to ensure the one thing the attack does not break is our bond as a family.

"As hard as it is for us to do so, we ask for your continued patience as we work through something for which there is no roadmap, and there are no instructions."